(NEW YORK) — Google is honoring Alithia Haven Ramirez, one of the students killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, by spotlighting her Google Doodle.
Alithia, 10, wanted to be an artist and had drawn artwork to submit to win the Doodle for Google artwork competition.
“I want the world to see my art and show the world what I can do, I want people to be happy when they see my passion in art,” Alithia said in her submission.
The doodle was posted on a special memorial page for Alithia.
Each year, Google puts out a call for student artwork submissions fitting the year’s theme. The winner of the competition earns a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology package for their school and gets their artwork displayed on Google’s homepage for 24 hours.
Google’s 2022 contest theme was “I care for myself by…” — which asks students to share what they do to comfort themselves as they face the “opportunities and challenges every new day brings.”
“We’re asking students to share how they nurture themselves in tough times,” the Google contest website reads. “What do they do to feel better when they’re feeling down? How do they approach taking a break? What activities make them feel calm or give them energy? What or who brings them joy?”
Alithia’s drawing depicts a girl on a couch, accompanied by a dog and two balls of yarn. The mandatory “Google” is spelled out in art on the wall above the girl.
Alithia was one of 21 people killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas.
Her grandmother, Rosa Maria Ramirez, told ABC News in the wake of the shooting that Alithia loved art.
“Oh my God, she was a very talented little girl. She loved to draw. She was real sweet. Never getting into trouble,” she said.
The last time she saw her granddaughter was on Mother’s Day. “They showered me with gifts,” Rosa Maria Ramirez said.
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